Arts & Entertainment
Gay high holy day
Madonna brings ‘MDNA Tour’ to D.C.
It sounds silly to say unless you were there, but Madonna’s show at the Verizon Center in D.C. last night — her first shows here since 2004 — felt like a wild mix of gay church, homecoming and an eye-popping musical extravaganza that, at times, rivaled a Cirque du Soleil production in scale, scope and special effects.
Madonna last night in D.C. (Blade photo by Joey DiGuglielmo)
Though barely anyone sat down the whole night, when the lights came up for a fourth quarter sing-along to “Like a Prayer,” there was an energy and fervor in the room that felt positively spiritual. It wasn’t so much, for me anyway, about the musicianship of the moment. I even winced a time or two at the thin vocals (she deserves credit for singing it live, though!), but that didn’t feel to me the point. In an arena full of what appeared to be about 70 percent gay men, the “Prayer” singalong felt more like a celebration of everything Madonna has always represented — you can be spiritual, intelligent, gay and have fun. And — projecting and paraphrasing of course — the stodgy old anti-gay gatekeepers of the Roman Catholic church, don’t think for a minute it’s their way or nothing. Yes, they’re onto something powerful and timeless, but they’re not the gatekeepers.
A bone for the gays. (Blade photo by Joey DiGuglielmo)
Sure, this isn’t a new thing by any means — Madonna has been using religious imagery to powerful concert effect at least since the “Blonde Ambition Tour,” but somehow this time out, it had a freshness and impact that totally worked. Arriving on stage in a confessional booth in one of her best tour entrances ever, this was an evening that brought with it redemptive powers. It’s also one of her best tours in ages — true, a Madonna show is never a bad show, but the arrangements, mix of old and new and staging, not to mention the flawless execution last night by all involved, has a hypnotic effect that can’t be fully conveyed. She plays another D.C. show tonight. Tickets are still available.
Almost everything worked in the expertly paced two-hour show. A pleasant surprise, considering her last few tours, was how faithful some of the arrangements were on the old hits. After having reworked “Vogue,” “Holiday,” and “Like a Prayer” so radically on outings’ past, it was great to hear them in near-original form for a change this time. While some of her re-imaginings other times have been amazing — I loved the gypsy/mariachi take on “La Isla Bonita” last time — this backfires as often as it works.
Last night’s percussion-heavy reworking of “Open Your Heart” was just so-so and a loungy, torchy “Like a Virgin” failed to pick up any heat, but thankfully there were enough faithful interpretations of other songs to make things largely effective overall. Second-tier, and more recent semi-hits, like “Revolver” and “Celebration” from her last hits collection, were unexpected surprises. And with “Papa Don’t Preach” and “Express Yourself” included as well, there wasn’t the slightest feeling Madonna was being stingy with the hits. They blended very well with material from her excellent new album. Some of the most effective moments of the evening were new songs like a blistering “I Don’t Give A” and an intensely satisfying “I’m Addicted.”
(Blade photo by Joey DiGuglielmo)
The band, sets, dancers, choreography, video montages and special effects were all super top-notch. And yes, there was a slight sense that for perhaps the first time, she left most of the tricky dance steps to the troupe, not always joining right in as she has in other tours. I noticed it, but it didn’t dampen the proceedings.
A lot has been made of the Tarantino-esque violence of the first quarter shooting rampage that accompanies “Girl Gone Wild” and “Gang Bang.” It was intense — blood splattering across arena-size monster jumbo screens is a jolt for sure — but it felt more cartoonish and campy than literal or disconcerting to me. In an evening where everything was writ as large as possible, it felt, to me, just one more piece of a broad emotional collage. One appreciates light much more after great darkness.
Even when there’s a song or two that aren’t what you would have picked — did we really need “Human Nature” again, for instance? — or an arrangement or two that left you cold, all that really is quibbling. Madonna never phones it in, never takes the easy route, never — even with a generous bounty of ’80s hits in the mix — feels like she’s a nostalgia act stuck in another era. Her live vocals — typically the calling card for a concert — are not her long suit, but to get too hung up on that is to miss the point entirely. Yeah, it’s always fun to see great legends in concert, but so many of them are on the gravy train and plow through their hits like they’re crossing off a grocery list. Madonna’s insistence on keeping it fresh even after all these years, remains an awe-inspiring thing.
Photos
PHOTOS: Capital Stonewall Democrats 50th anniversary
D.C. LGBTQ political group celebrates milestone at Pepco Edison Place Gallery
The Capital Stonewall Democrats held a 50th anniversary celebration at Pepco Edison Place Gallery on Friday. Rayceen Pendarvis served as the emcee.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Theater
‘Inherit the Wind’ isn’t about science vs. religion, but the right to think
Holly Twyford on new role and importance of listening to different opinions
‘Inherit the Wind’
Through April 5
Arena Stage
1101 Sixth St., S.W.
Tickets start at $73
Arenastage.org
When “Inherit the Wind” premiered on Broadway in 1955 with a cast of 50, its fictional setting of Hillsboro, an obscure country town described as the buckle on the Bible Belt, was filled with townspeople. And now at Arena Stage, director Ryan Guzzo Purcell has somehow crowded Arena’s large Fichandler space with just 10 actors, five principals and a delightful ensemble of five playing multiple roles.
Inspired by the real-life Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s fictionalized work pits intellectual freedom against McCarthyism via the imagined trial of Bertram Cates (Noah Plomgren), a Tennessee educator charged with teaching evolution. Drawn into the fracas are big shot lawyers, defense attorney Henry Drummond (Billy Eugene Jones), and conservative prosecutor, Matthew Harrison Brady (Dakin Matthew). On hand to cover the closely watched story is wisecracking city slicker and Baltimore reporter E.K. Horneck (played by nonbinary actor Alyssa Keegan).
Out actor Holly Twyford, a four-time Helen Hayes Award winner who has appeared in more than 80 Washington area plays, is part of the ensemble. In jeans and boots, she memorably plays Meeker, the bailiff at the Hillsboro courthouse and the jailer responsible for holding Cates in the days leading to his trial.
Twyford also plays Sillers, a slack jawed earnest employee at the local feed store who’s called to serve on the jury. And more importantly she plays Brady’s quietly strong wife Sarah whom he affectionately calls “Mother.”
When Twyford makes her memorable first entrance as Meeker, she’s wiping shaving cream from her face with a hand towel. With shades of Mayberry R.F.D., the jail is run casually. Meeker says Cates isn’t the criminal type, and he’s not.
“There’s a joke among actors,” says Twyford. “When an actor gets his shoes, they know who their character is. And it’s sort of true. When you put on boots, heels, or flip flops, there’s a different feeling, and you walk differently.”
Similarly, shares Twyford, it goes for clothes too: “When Mother slips a pink coat dress over her cowboy boots, dons a little hat and ties her scarf, or Meeker puts on his work shirt, I know where I am. And all of that is thanks to a remarkable wardrobe crew.
“Additionally, some of the ensemble characters are played broadly which is helpful to the actors and super identifying for the audience too.”
During intermission, an audience member loudly described the production as “a proper play” filled with beautifully written passages. And it’s true. Twyford agrees, adding “That’s all true, and it’s also been was fun for us to be a part of the Arena legacy as well. Arena took ‘Inherit the Wind’ to the Soviet Union in the early ‘70s when the respective governments did a cultural exchange. At the time, the iron curtain was very much in place, and they traveled with a play about a man with his own thoughts.”
When the ensemble was cast, actors didn’t know which tracts exactly they were going to play. “What came together was a cast, diverse in different ways. Some directors, including myself when I direct, are interested in assembling a cast that’s a good group. No time for egos. It’s more about who will make the best group to help me tell this story.”
At one point during rehearsal, ensemble members began to help one another with minor onstage costume changes, like jackets and hats: “We just started doing it and Ryan [Guzzo Purcell] picked up on it, saying things really began to come alive when we helped each other, so we went with that.”
“For me, it was reminiscent of ‘The Laramie Project’ [Ford’s Theatre in 2013] when we played five different parts and we’d help each other with a vest or jacket in a similar way. It worked so well then too,” says Twyford.
“Inherit the Wind” isn’t about science versus religion. It’s about the right to think, playwright Jerome Lawrrence has been quoted as saying. And it’s a quote that makes the play that much more relevant today.
Twford remembers a chat in a hair salon: “I was getting my hair cut and the woman next to me shared that she was tired of message plays. Understandably there are theater makers who believe that message plays are the point, while others think it’s all about entertainment. I feel like ‘Inherit the Wind’ sits in a nice place in the middle.”
She adds “the work is a creative way of showing different opinions and that, I think, is what we should be paying attention to right now. Clearly, it’s not right or wrong to express what you think.”
Out & About
‘How We Survived’ panel set for March 25
‘Living History’ discussion to be held at Spark Social
Friends of Dorothy Cafe will host “Part One, Living History: How We Survived,” will take place on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Spark Social House.
This event will be moderated by Abby Stuckrath, host of the “Queering the District” podcast. Panelists include: Earline Budd, activist, trans rights advocate; TJ Flavell of Go Gay DC; DC LGBTQ+ Center Board Member David Bissette; and Alexa Rodriguez, founder and executive director, Trans-Latinx DMV.
This event is part of a four-part storytelling series called “Living History,” which centers LGBTQ elders, activists, artists, and icons sharing their lived experiences and reflections with younger generations. The conversations explore themes like resilience, community organizing, chosen family, and the lessons earlier generations hope today’s LGBTQ+ and ally communities will carry forward.
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‘How We Survived’ panel set for March 25
